Lawn ph adjustment - Ask Extension
Hello, We currently have a natural lawn care company to treat our lawn. I have battled alkaline soil for years in my yard and gardens; they did a soil...
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Lawn ph adjustment #880540
Asked August 07, 2024, 12:59 PM EDT
Hello, We currently have a natural lawn care company to treat our lawn. I have battled alkaline soil for years in my yard and gardens; they did a soil analysis and it shows my lawn ph is 7.3. The technician apparently made a mistake and applied calcified lime to make it more alkaline he said (apparently he mixed up the numbers for alkaline and acidic). What can be done to correct it at this time?
Hennepin County Minnesota
Expert Response
Nothing applied to soil will actually change the pH. Rain and natural weathering will bring it back to its original numbers. Your pH is normal for Minnesota where our soils are basically neutral.
A pH of 7 is neutral. As numbers decrease from 7, the acidity gets
higher. As numbers increase from 7 so does the alkalinity. Soils
generally range from an extremely acidic pH of 3 to a very alkaline pH of 10. This range is a result of many factors, including a soil’s parent material and the amount of yearly rainfall an area receives. Most cultivated plants enjoy slightly acidic conditions with a pH of about 6.5. Blueberries, azaleas, and rhododendrons are among the plants that demand a very acidic pH of 4.5 to 5.5. I do not know why you want to change the pH of your soil. Plants should grow very well with the natural pH of 7.4 unless you are trying to grow blueberries. I suggest that after this year's rain and the snow melt in the spring, you take a soil test and look for suggestions to see if our Soil Testing Lab thinks your pH is too high. https://soiltest.cfans.umn.ed
A pH of 7 is neutral. As numbers decrease from 7, the acidity gets
higher. As numbers increase from 7 so does the alkalinity. Soils
generally range from an extremely acidic pH of 3 to a very alkaline pH of 10. This range is a result of many factors, including a soil’s parent material and the amount of yearly rainfall an area receives. Most cultivated plants enjoy slightly acidic conditions with a pH of about 6.5. Blueberries, azaleas, and rhododendrons are among the plants that demand a very acidic pH of 4.5 to 5.5. I do not know why you want to change the pH of your soil. Plants should grow very well with the natural pH of 7.4 unless you are trying to grow blueberries. I suggest that after this year's rain and the snow melt in the spring, you take a soil test and look for suggestions to see if our Soil Testing Lab thinks your pH is too high. https://soiltest.cfans.umn.ed
